The Cecil Whig., 1887-10-29
"SOMETHING" TO SHOW.

OUR amiable contemporary of the
North East Star, now comes to Elk
ton statedly every Tuesday, and getting
his little budget at the County Com
missioners office, returns to North East
in time to twinkle on us the following
Saturday, and tell US how ec0Nomicalr
our business affairs have been admins
tered for the past twenty years. We
admire the temperate complacency of
our independent brother, when he tells
US to believe, that although we have a
county debt of over seventy-hve thou
sand dollars, yet we have something to
show for it, and that there is voucher
on file in the Commissioners office for
every bill that has been paid there.
Why certainly there is. Who ever
doubted there was. But for what kinds
of bills? Suppose while our cotem-
porary is dealing in general exhibits,
we take up with him special instance
of an economical (o) item. Let US take
up for instance bill of MIR. Sentman
against the county for services as County
Commissioner.
Elkton, Dee. 7, 1885.
Cecil County
To Z. S. Seminar, DR..
For time end mileage cut
side Of o6ce at Roads and
Bridges, from July to
Dec. 9, to So days, and
I,7SS miles -. S4i5 so
Now these charges of time and mile
age are we'll named outside, for they
are outside of all precedent and law,
from the date of the settlement of
Maryland down to today. But tine bill
cited being only one of a kind, let US
see what the full amount is, which Mr..
Sentman charged the county for his
outside work, and what an astonishing
distance he Travelled to do it, under
the system now in vogue in our County
Commissioners office. For we wish it
understood, that it is the system we are
attacking not Mr.. Sentman it's bene-
ficiary, since if the Board of which he
was an approving member in auditing
his own accounts, passed his bill as it
did, the responsibility rests upon them,
not on him.
Mr.. Sentman was in office,-although
not really elected to it, Mr.. George F.
Harlan with small majority in his
favor declining to make contest-less
than two years, from Nov. II, 1883,
to Nov. 7 1855, or in all III days.
DeGucting II2 days for Sundays and
legal Holidays, he had 59o working
days while Commissioner. His bills
show that he charged the county for
444 days work. only losing during his
entire term S. days. He spent by his
own showing So days in inside or office
work, and $50 days in outside work,
as engineer, or constructor of several
bridges, the principal ones being at
Conowingo, and Rowlandville, both OF
them within ten miles of his residence.
He charged the county
SS days (inside work. S 4o4.So
$50 days (outslde " I.S59.9o
444 days S2,264.7o
and all this, while the Board of County
Commissioners had a professional engi-
neer employed Mr.. Latrobe tor
whose services about the same bridges
and others, the county paid Mr.. Latrobe
SI,4I9.74.
Now the legal pay of County Com
missioner is So per day while discharg-
ing the duties of his office, with an al
lowance for mileage, at ten cents per
mile for all distances over five miles,
in going to and returning from his
office. For the So days service with
legal mileage, he was allowed the pro-
per amount by the clerk S4o4.So. But
Mr.. Sentman by his own showing has
charged s., ,a64. 70 for 444 days work,
or an average of over S5.loper day for